


Finally

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Family, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: On a scholarship study abroad, Brave meets the one of the cutest, if notthecutest guy in his entire life. Who happens to have an over protective older brother.[DO NOT REPOST/REUSE MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION]
Relationships: Brave/Crow Hogan
Kudos: 10
Collections: KC Winter Cup 2020





	Finally

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miss_romantic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_romantic/gifts).



> This is for Etta from the YGO Collab Love Discord! ^^ I want to say that I really appreciate your enthusiasm for your ships, it's really cute and it's great to see you having a lot of fun on the server! I hope you like it, I tried my best.

Brave was a second-year transfer student from Sweden, studying dueling, communications, and business. He didn’t look like it, an easy going guy with an easy smile and perhaps sticky hands, but he was one of three students who had qualified for an all-costs-covered scholarship to study in Neo Domino, Japan for one term. The other two were his closest friends, Harald and Dragan. Brave was actually the one to bring up the idea first, and lo-and-behold, his friends agreed, citing their own interest. Five months later, they were on a flight on a private jet over Eurasia and landed in the country of the rising sun right around dawn. It was a pretty sight, breathtaking here as it was back home. 

The Japanese air was warmer, and the morning quiet, people buzzing softly through the airport as a woman’s voice spoke over the intercom. It was early so that there were only a small number of people drifting in and out. Nobody stopped them as Brave and his friends walked off the terminal and picked up their things. Their D-Wheelers were being directly transported to the campus apartment they’d be staying at during this term. 

“Someone is picking us up, right?” Brave asked, his Japanese heavily accented. He swung his backpack over his shoulder, resting a knee on his red suitcase. “Hope we don’t have to go into this brave new world all on our own.”

Before the scholarship, they all had an idea of Japanese, but learning it was one of the things they did to prepare for their study abroad. Luckily, Harald was adept in it as much as almost everything else he put his mind to, and was also a good teacher. Each of them was capable of holding a conversation for more than twenty minutes now. 

“Yes,” Harald answered, nodding his head once, the strap of his lilac duffle over one shoulder and a matching suitcase at his feet. “They’re some of Neo Domino’s top students. The email said we can’t miss them.”

“Did we ever figure out what that means?” Dragan asked, raising an eyebrow. Gripping on the handle of his baby blue suitcase, his only luggage, he wasn’t exactly frowning, but unlike Brave, he wasn’t much for surprises. Pop quizzes were tolerable but _not_ appreciated. 

“Guess we’ll just have to find out!” Brave said, placing an arm over his friend’s shoulder, as he walked them out to the escalator which would lead to the exit. Their escorts were supposed to be there. Brave hoped they were cool, or at least nice. Not boring most of all. He didn’t like being bored all too much. “You think they’ll be ugly?” he asked without prompt.

Harald huffed with disapproval. “Brave,” he said, a warning in his tone. _Don’t start fights now,_ was what he didn’t say. _Behave._

Brave laughed. “It was just a question. You worry too much.”

Dragon shook his head, though he didn’t say anything. 

They made it down the escalator and spotted their escort as soon as their eyes landed on them. No doubt it was them because they were _gorgeous_. Oh, was that what the email meant?

Standing by the glass entrance were three men. The tallest of them was taller by almost a whole foot, his blond hair styled neatly with two long forelocks falling over his shoulder. It framed his pretty handsome face, his skin fair and his eyes like amethysts. He wore an all-white attire, large A’s hanging off his ears, and another was slapped on the buckle of his belt. Egotistic, but fitting, his presence elegant and powerful even from a few yards away. The next man had spiky black hair with gold highlights, looking like a crab. It was eccentric and eye-catching, drawing attention to his face, which was also handsome but with a hint of softness the blond didn’t have. His skin was tanned, from hours under the sun, and he bored a yellow mark on his left cheek, complimenting the gem-like blue of his eyes. In contrast, his attire was dark and short with red accents. 

However, the one who stood out the most, to Brave at least, was the last man who was holding a sign that read **Team Ragnarok**. He was the shortest of them, though not the shortest person around, and he wore more earthly colors, torn green pants, a yellow tank top, and a brown vest. He had thick, vibrant orange hair and gray eyes like a storm, but in the way that made Brave want to go up and hug him. Like the crab-man, he had yellow marks too, but they covered almost every part of his tanned skin, on both cheeks and on his forehead. He was also wearing the nicest smile Brave had ever seen, something a little mischievous. 

_Oh, he’s cute,_ the Swede thought, pausing to take a longer look. He was interrupted when Dragan smacked him on the back, giving him a curious look. Harald himself raised an eyebrow, gesturing for them to keep going. 

“You must be our escorts,” the white-haired man greeted politely. “I’m Harald, it’s nice to meet you. Thank you for coming all this way to pick us up.”

The crab-man nodded, probably the leader of the group. “It’s nice to meet you,” he replied, placing a hand on his chest. “I’m Yūsei.”

“Jack Atlas,” the blond said, sounding rather disinterested. His arms were crossed.

“I’m Crow!” the cute ginger added, putting his arms behind his head casually. _Crow, fitting name and for a trickster, no doubt. There is that saying that birds of a feather flock together._

“Dragan,” Dragan said with a curt nod. 

“And I’m Brave,” Brave said lastly, giving Crow his most charming smile. “It’s very nice to meet _you_ , Crow.”

Both Harald and Dragan let out sounds of exasperation, Brave hearing their eyes rolling upwards. Crow simply snorted. “You’re gonna hafta try a lot harder than that, pretty boy,” he said, giving Brave a wink. 

“Can we _not_?” Jack cut in, and Brave caught the piercing, almost smoldering glare the blond was giving him. 

Yūsei placed a hand on the taller man’s shoulder, letting out a sigh. “Let’s get to campus,” he said, “and get you settled in. Jack, Crow, and I will be taking care of you for the term, so if you have any questions, let us know.”

They headed outside where a small van was waiting for them, and all the luggage and students were piled in. They had a driver with them, an even taller man with blue hair and a friendly smile named Bruno. Apparently, he was the only one who could be trusted to drive a car, seeing that his three friends were speed junkie Turbo duelists.

“I drive just fine,” Yūsei muttered, taking shotgun. 

“Remember Martha’s toolshed?” Crow teased, climbing into the back, and the crab-man blushed in embarrassment. “At least you were able to build her a new one.” That got a chuckle out of Jack who got in right after. 

“Who’s Martha?” Brave asked curiously, wishing he had moved a few seconds earlier. He wanted to sit next to Crow, but the blond knew what he was thinking. Harald and Dragan were right behind him. They pulled the door shut, and off they went.

“Our foster mom,” Crow answered lightly. 

“Foster mom? All four of you?”

“Nah, Bruno was just some guy Jack picked up and Yūsei adopted. Like a puppy.”

The driver forced a polite laugh. “You really do tell the story like that, don’t you?” Bruno asked. 

Inwardly, Brave was cheering. They were just adoptive brothers, _yes!_ He heard Harald clearing his throat rather loudly right next to him, the older man giving him a stern look. _Behave._ Brave gave him a sheepish smile. 

|||||

Neo Domino University was large, close to the center of the city, and it had many associated facilities located throughout, such as the practice duel track. It had many Turbo duelists studying there, so there were special locations for the wheelers to be parked for their convenience. As for boarding, there were on-campus apartments, like the one that Brave and his friends were staying at. It was nice and spacious; they all had their own rooms with a shared kitchen, bathroom, and living area. Just like back in Sweden, only that this apartment was right next door to Crow’s which he was sharing with Jack and Yūsei. 

It had been about a few weeks since they arrived in Japan, and everything was going very well for Brave. The classes weren’t very difficult to keep up with, especially since his “chauffeurs” were also among the top of their years and respective majors, which was both surprising and not at the same time. A bit unfair, perhaps. They were already attractive and charming men who were also great duelists, but they also had to be smart? Well, Brave and his friends weren’t exactly far off. Learning Japanese had gotten easier, too, especially since Brave asked Crow to hang out every time he could, whether it was to explore City or chill on campus. They talked a lot and never seemed to run out of things to talk about. 

“Sorry if I’m taking up all your time,” Brave said when he showed up next door one afternoon. “It’s just a lot of fun hanging out with you.”

“‘S no problem,” Crow replied, tilting his head as a sign to follow him. “I think it’s fun to hang out with you, too. Martha’s been telling me that I need to spend more time with people my age anyway, so she’d be happy to find out about you.”

“People your age?”

“Yeah, I’m a child development minor, and I head home every other weekend to the orphanage to help with the kids.”

“You like kids?”

“Love them. Why? You’re not one of those people who dislike them, are you?”

Brave shook his head frantically, laughing because that couldn’t be more wrong. He was so glad that _this_ was yet another he learned about Crow. “No, not me. I love kids. Back home, I’m part of a program that works with orphans, too.” 

Crow smiled. “Smart, cute, and sweet, you must be popular with the girls back home.”

“I’d like to think I’m popular with all sorts of people.”

When they made it to Crow’s room, the ginger gestured for Brave to go in. “I’ll get us something to drink and some snacks,” he said before heading back out to the kitchen. 

The Swede made himself comfortable, dumping his bag on the floor by the bed and sitting against it. This was the first time he’d been in Crow’s room, and he noticed it was sparse with a few posters of some famous Turbo tournaments and a small TV. The other thing that filled the room were the many pictures of different kids and people placed on top of the dresser surface and hung on some parts of the wall. _He really does love kids._ His eyes got caught by a framed picture with a young Crow, standing between who was obviously a young Jack and Yūsei with a black woman standing behind them. They were all smiling. 

Seeing that reminded Brave of his now full-blown crush for the ginger. Crow was cute from the moment they met, but as the weeks had passed, he seemed more and more perfect. He was respectable while never undermining his worth. And he loved children and was studying to help them like the kind person he already was? The Swede had been looking for a chance, a fitting moment to tell Crow how he felt, though he had absolutely no idea if Crow felt the same in return. But at this point, there was no way Brave would go home without confessing his feelings. Brave was no coward.

But there was one other issue and its name was—

“I see you made it past this door.”

_Speak of the Devil._

Brave turned his head to face the world’s biggest wall. “Jack, it’s good to see you,” he said, trying not to be sarcastic. 

It was as if the blond had an alarm whenever Brave tried to get closer to Crow. Jack was always there to interrupt somehow. Like last week when he showed up at lunch and shoved Brave away to sit right between them. Or the week before when Brave invited Crow to a movie and Jack invited himself to come along. (He also sat between them then, too.) And here he was again, leaning against the threshold of the door with his arms crossed, looking at Brave like some vermin. The blond was standing at full height like always, but he felt so much more threatening at this moment. 

“Where’s Yūsei?” Brave continued, hoping to pass the awkward moment.

“Out,” Jack answered curtly.

“Oh. Cool.”

Tense silence fell between them as Brave had nothing else to say and Jack made no signs of leaving. A second of it was enough to set the Swede on edge, and he was about to say something else when Crow got back just in time, giving his brother a kick in the shin. “You’re in the way,” the ginger said, shoving his way in with a small tray of drinks and snacks. “What do you want, Jack?”

The blond scowled, rubbing his leg. “Nothing,” he said. “Keep your door open.”

“What?”

But Jack already disappeared from view, leaving Crow to scoff in annoyance. “Sorry about him,” the ginger said, putting down the tray on the carpeted floor. He closed the door, thankfully. “He can be kind of an ass, so don’t listen to him if he says anything.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Brave lied, scooting over to make some space. 

He was trying not to smile when his friend sat down right next to him, sparing only a few centimeters between them. Crow pulled a remote from his bed, turning on his TV, and the Swede, being brave, placed an arm around his shoulders, trying as casually as possible. And like with prior attempts, Crow didn’t push him away or said anything. Instead, the ginger leaned in closer, resting his body against Brave’s like it was the most natural thing in the world. He was the kind of guy who was okay with being touchy. 

That was nice, and Brave really couldn’t be bothered to care about what was playing right now. “Hey, Crow, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he said, eyes on his crush. 

Crow hummed, turning to look at Brave. He was smiling, beautiful as always. “Yeah?” he asked. “What’s that?”

“Well, I, uhm, think you’re a really cool guy, and I like you. A lot. So, I want to ask if you’d go on a da—”

**_Bam!_ **

Brave nearly jumped out of his own skin, retracting his arm to hold his hands up like he was being caught red handed by Sector Security. It was Jack— _again_ —and he had stuck his head to shoot the Swede the most accusatory expression ever. _Every time! How does he know?_

“My door!” Crow shouted, pointing a finger at Jack. “You could’ve broken it! We live on a budget!”

“I told you to keep your door open,” Jack said as if he had done nothing wrong. 

That only annoyed the ginger even more, and he was up to fight with the blond as these interactions tended to lead up to whenever Jack interrupted. “Wait, don’t go,” Brave said weakly, but Crow didn’t hear him and was up in Jack’s face again, the both of them never seemed to lose any steam despite how often they squabbled. 

As expected, Brave lost his chance again. Jack got his way in the end, taking up the space on Crow’s bed with a book in hand while Brave and Crow continued to hang out, the former trying not to sulk as he completely missed whatever the latter put on to watch. It wasn’t exactly awkward, but today could’ve gone so much better. Well, at least Crow was still cute and perfect. 

|||||

It had now been two months, and Brave was _losing his mind_. At this point, he was sure that Jack was a good brother but _very_ frustrating and _way_ too protective. It was like he was literally waiting around at every corner, waiting to jump out just when Brave was going to ask again. Okay, maybe he was being a little paranoid, but was he wrong?

“Well, if I had a little sibling and knew a guy like you was going after them, I would be a little protective, too,” Dragan commented—his version of a joke.

“You’re overthinking all this,” Harald added, tone neutral. “Take your chances, we only have another three months after all. Your heartbreak will be easier to deal with than your regret, my friend.”

There really wasn't much time left. Why, oh, why did Brave have to fall in love with a foreign man in a foreign land? This was reading like some sort of romance novel. 

“You’re right,” Brave said, a little glum, “but how can I do that when Jack is always getting in the way? I'd like to confess _in private_.”

Dragan raised an eyebrow. “Have you tried asking Yūsei?” he asked like it was the most obvious answer in the world. 

“I . . . I might not have thought about asking him . . .”

His friends shook their heads in disappointment but didn’t comment on that. “Go ask him for help, Brave,” Harald pushed, sounding like the mother of a ten-year-old, and he pushed the younger man out of their apartment. “Don’t come back until you got this all figured out and have gotten this over with.” Dragan simply waved, going back to his biochemistry textbook.

“Wait a minute, I didn't say I’d do it _today_.”

“Yūsei spends Tuesday afternoons in the maintenance garage, so you’ll probably find him there. Good-bye, Brave. Dragan and I are right behind you, one hundred percent.”

With that, Harald closed the door in Brave’s face, not giving him any more time to waddle around. Still, he shuffled on his feet, glancing over next door a few times. Then, with a sigh, the Swede accepted the only choice he had left, and he turned around, heading to the garage where all the D-wheelers were stationed. It was a good distance away from the apartments, but Brave was a bit relieved about that. Having a clear path to telling Crow his feelings for the first time was making him jittery, his mouth dry and his stomach tingling, so he walked slowly, preparing himself for the next conversation. 

Yūsei was a nice guy, everyone could attest to that. He was the kind of guy you could call at three in the morning, and he’d have himself and a few more friends come over to help you pack your things and move. He was also the engineering TA and tutored people once a week at the academic center on campus. Nobody had anything bad to say about him, save for maybe that _one story_. 

Apparently, there was this one time someone insulted a newbie’s deck, and Yūsei jumped in to teach the guy a lesson. It was _very brutal_ from what Brave heard, and thinking about it made him shiver, autumn chill forgotten. It was so bad that the guy dropped out in humiliation. Brave wasn’t sure just how true that was, but he didn’t really want to find out. 

As Harald said, Brave found Yūsei in the garage, underneath his beautiful red runner. Next to it were Wheel of Fortune and Blackbird which the dark-haired man also took care of, keeping them updated and maintained. In a few weeks, there was going to be a school-wide competition, and Team 5D’s was one of Team Ragnorak’s biggest challenges. There was also the all American trio, Team Unicorn, and this single French competitor, Sherry LeBlanc, who was tough enough to fill three spots on her own. 

The Swede knocked gently on the garage door, announcing his presence. “Hey, Yūsei,” Brave greeted easily, entering. 

Yūsei pulled away from his runner, grabbing a rag from his toolbox to wipe his hands. He had a streak of oil across his unmarked cheek but didn’t seem to notice it. “Hey, Brave,” he replied back with a smile. “You need help with something?” he asked, taking a seat at his makeshift work desk. It was just a prop table with a laptop. 

Brave nodded. “Uh, yeah . . . I want to ask about Crow?”

“So you’re finally going to ask him out?”

Brave paused, his mouth popped open. He moved his hand over to cover his embarrassing expression, feeling a little warm. “Is it that obvious?”

“You’re not the first person to try.”

“Well, I’d like to try and succeed, if possible, but there’s something that’s bothering me.” Brave rubbed the back of his neck, figuring out how he should continue. “I feel like Jack’s a bit . . . protective?”

Yūsei furrowed his brow, eyes looking at Brave for answers. Then he opened his mouth in silent realization, slapping his face with one hand. “Brave, I’m so sorry about that,” he said, tone exasperated with a roll of his eyes. “It’s Jack’s way of messing with you. He did this with Aki.”

The Swede paused, taking that one sentence in. “So you’re saying he _won’t_ kill me if I tried to kiss Crow?” he asked, incredulous and a bit pissed, but he’d deal with that later. 

Yūsei gave Brave a sympathetic smile. “Jack and I love Crow very much, he’s our little brother and our friend, but he can take care of himself. If he needs help, he knows he can always ask us. Jack probably thought it was funny to keep you on your toes. And you’re nice. You wouldn’t do anything to make other people mad, especially the ‘protective’ older brother of the guy you’re obviously crushing on.”

“ _Obviously?_ Yeah, okay. Wait, does Crow know?”

Yūsei shrugged. “That’s for _you_ to find out.” But he was smiling a little, something encouraging. 

Brave opened his mouth, about to ask another question, but then he shut it, inhaling through his nose. He needed a moment to calm down because all of a sudden, his heart was pounding in his chest as loud as thunder and his face was feeling warmer than summer. He had the urge to say something embarrassing, but instead, he said, “I’m going to kill Jack Atlas.”

Yūsei snorted. “That is if Crow doesn’t kill him first when he finds out. He’s at the apartment right now. Jack's out with Carly again, so you’re set.”

“Oh.”

With that, Brave made a mad dash out of the garage, shouting back last minute, “Thank you, Yūsei! I should’ve done this from the beginning!” He didn’t hear any reply, but that was because he was already out of the garage. In his haste back to the apartments, he took a shortcut—he jumped over the gate and knocked over a potted plant—and nearly tripped several times. 

He reached the apartments with heavy breaths, bent halfway forward with his hands on his knees. It took a minute, but he stood upright and knocked on the front door. It opened, and Brave was greeted with the wonderful face of . . . his friend.

“Wrong. Door,” Dragon said, lips thinned. 

“Oh,” Brave said, face flushed and not from the running he just did. Pretending to clear his throat, he pointed to his right. “I’ll go there then.”

Dragan huffed, and he shut the door quietly without another word. Taking another second, Brave checked up on himself. He was still standing upright, but having a moment to calm down, he wasn’t actually calming down at all. _Actually_ , his heart was beating faster than before, and he was still out of breath, inhaling and exhaling deeply and quickly. Oh, he was getting light-headed, he should stop.

“Argh!” Brave shouted, slapping his cheeks, _twice_ , and he marched himself a few meters to the door to his right. “You can do this, you can do this,” he told himself, holding up a hand and— He didn’t do anything, joints stiffening up all of the sudden. “You can do this, you can do this. It’s just Crow, he’s cool and cute, and you gotta kiss him at least once in your life. Don’t be a coward, Brave, the worst thing he can do is say no. He’s respectable, so there won’t be any hard feelings, for sure. I think. Maybe I should come back later, maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Or maybe I shouldn’t—”

The door opened without any prompt, and this time, Brave was greeted by the _wonderful face of his crush_. Crow had an orange eyebrow raised and a cellphone in his hand, and he was looking at Brave with the most confused expression. _As cute as always,_ the Swede couldn’t help but think, and he put his hand down once he realized how weird he must look. 

“Dragan said you’d be out here,” the ginger said with a snort. “What’s up, man? Is something wrong? You could’ve just called.”

Brave’s mouth moved before he could think and said, “IwanttokissyoupleasegooutwithmeCrow.”

There was a pause, and then a bark of laughter.

“Finally!” Crow nearly shouted, a smile breaking out on his lips, and he stepped up towards Brave, leaving just a tiny bit of distance between them. It was too close and not close enough, and he was standing just right under Brave’s chin, looking up with bright gray eyes. “I was wondering what was taking you so long,” he said.

“S— Sorry,” Brave replied, feeling his heart jump. Oh, this wasn’t how he’d imagine this would go, feeling backed into a corner even though he had nothing at his back. “Some things came up, but I should’ve done this right at the beginning. I liked you the moment I saw you, Crow.”

“Yeah? And you _still_ like me even now, huh?” Crow’s smile grew sly, and he wrapped his arms around Brave’s waist, closing the gap. _Finally._ “I like you too, Brave, but I’m going to need you to repeat what you just said. And slower. Just to be sure. I might have misheard you.”

 _He heard. He heard every word, this punk._ Brave swallowed, returning the embrace with his arms around Crow’s shoulders. “I want to kiss you,” he said carefully. “Please go out with me, Crow.”

Crow laughed some more. “Done,” he said before he got up on his toes and pressed his lips against Brave’s. 

The kiss was gentle, like the first winter snow, and it landed softly amongst a sea of white that filled Brave’s entire mind. It wiped him clean of every sense, every thought but _this_ , this was what he wanted so much, what he had been waiting for, _their first kiss_. 


End file.
